2 city residents face charges of shoplifting from Boardman Macy’s

A Youngstown man accused of aggravated robbery will remain in jail until his first court appearance Tuesday.

Hubbie Lee McMeans, 49, of Delason Avenue, Youngstown, is charged with theft, aggravated robbery and assault stemming from an incident that began as a shoplifting case at Southern Park Mall.

Poilce said McMeans is accused of taking purses valued at $460 from Macy’s about 2:30 p.m. Thursday and running out of the store into the parking lot when a loss-prevention officer confronted him.

Reports state that the shoplifter then carjacked a man at the Family Christian Bookstore, 7415 Market Street, which is near the mall parking lot, and threatened the car’s driver with a gun.

The driver handed the suspect his keys, and the suspect sat in the driver’s seat before running back to Macy’s, hiding under a rack of clothing, and then fleeing into Dillard’s, according to reports.

Police said McMeans was apprehended at gunpoint in the Dillard’s parking lot as he was trying to persuade a woman to give him a ride.

During his booking, McMeans repeatedly made reference to a drug addiction causing him to act this way.

Later that day, a 28-year-old Youngstown woman was arrested on shoplifting charges from Macy’s at about 6:30 p.m.

Nicole L. DeGenaro, of Mahoning Avenue, is charged with felony theft and criminal tools. Police said a store employee saw a woman select 10 pieces of jewelry valued at $930 and conceal it in her purse, which was lined with tin foil.

Its good to hear some of these "professional" shoplifters are now being caught. This is a crime that is getting way out of control. These Perps need a lengthy jail sentence and not a light sentence for a first offense.

I agree that these criminals should be behind bars. But as a Youngstown resident and a victim, I want my fellow Black and White law abiding citizens in on a secret. The Youngstown and Boardman Police do their job. they arrest the criminals. But the problems come with the prosecutors in Youngstown. They plea bargin most of the Black criminals back on to the streets where they rob, kill and hurt. These prosecuters are mostly White, live away from the inner city and look upon the innocent citizens as "collateral damage".

Now it's bah humbug as the early Christmas shopping of the oppressed has been brought to a halt . An early release on probation would be justifiable to allow them recovery time to re-establish the shopping momentum before Christmas .

It's the time of year for the professional and not so professional thieves to hone their skills. They're tirelessly working to be ready for back to school, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. They hope to go "over the top" in helping to shrink inventories then you and I will pay for that shrinkage they've caused.

Maybe if somebody gave this guy a job he would not need to steal, maybe he would have some self-respect, and he would not do drugs that make him do crazy things. Then, he would be able to pay the fare on the bus that would get him to his job.

Hubbie Lee McMeans should not be enslaved . He is comfortable with doing drugs and raising the funding for his habit . At the age of 49 with no work history he is not a candidate for employment . Save the job for a younger man who wouldn't mind being enslaved to a paycheck .

""Until we address the 80%+ of the population, the normal Joes and Janes and the future of the workforce, we are going to see more crime and more decay. More stable people will fall into such disrepair and go wayward."

I know a lot of people that are living paycheck to paycheck or on the brink of being homeless, but they do not steal or rob or lead a life of taking what is not yours. Called morals and not going to the low life pitiful slimy animals that have to steal what others have worked so hard for or kill for that matter. Those people are the lowest forms of life on this planet. No excuse. There are jobs out there, you have to want to work, might not the greatest but it's something. If you have to work 2 jobs so be it. You can make something of your life if you are willing to sacrifice instead of taking the easy way out, crime. You have to care for your fellow man not steal from him, called a conscience and the animals just don't have it.

The problem with in-store thefts is a complex one, but one that has been "encouraged" by the way stores operate. They employ far too few employees to "watch" the floor and depend upon closed circuit tv monitors to observe shoppers. The problem with tv monitors is, there is no human watching the tv monitor. Monitors are only useful in confirming the theft if the shopper is caught by an employee, or to identify repeat offenders so they can "watch" this offender during the next visit.

The limited number of employees are too busy stocking, cleaning up messes, and ringing up customers. Because of this, some shoplifters have developed skills and tactics to maximize the success of their shoplifting experience. The best system is to have a sensor at the door to identify "any" unpaid merchandise leaving the store. This is too costly for most retailers, so we are stuck with the current mess of shoppers easily walking out with stolen merchandise and frazzled employees who could face a firing for excessive "shrinkage".

On the other hand, if an employee is too aggressive in handling a shoplifting customer, the employee could also face a firing. Retail has become a nightmare for employees and a paradise for the shoplifting public. There is a line where a retailer is willing to accept a certain amount of "shrinkage" as acceptable, because this line is still lower than the cost of additional employees. Unfortunately, professional shoplifters are discovering more and more "windows of opportunity" as they become more familiar with each store's operating methods, thus retail "shrinkage" is on the rise.

Another problem started by retailers is they fail to follow thru on arrest and prosecution. One large company that I once worked for refused to prosecute because "it is too expensive", or "their attorneys are too busy", or "these people are too poor, leave them alone"...all unacceptable excuses which only promote further theft.

I once had a theft case ready to appear before a judge, when the company attorney called that morning and announced she would not be attending and felt that I would be able to handle this appearance before a judge for the company. Naturally, the judge threw the case out for lack of proper representation. What a waste of my time and efforts. It seems that theft cases are not high on the list of "attractive" cases for attorneys to represent in a court of law.